I'm Only Human
by 4ever-and-always-invisible
Summary: You hear them muffle words and you try to make them out but fail. You wait until you see them leave before you propel yourself up and out of the water. You lift yourself up onto the light grey concrete and grab a light blue towel from your swim locker. "Hey there gorgeous." A voice echoes through the room. Rated T for harsh language, self harm. Long-shot.


You float, swaying slightly in the nice cool water. Your name is Feferi Peixes. You can see your hair curling around your face. You look up towards the surface and see three figures looming overhead. You hold your breath and wait for them to leave. Your lungs feel like they are on fire but you try to stay under just a little longer. You hear their muffled words and you try to make them out but fail. You wait until you see them leave before you propel yourself up and out of the water.

You lift yourself up onto the light grey concrete and grab a light blue towel from your swim locker.

"Hey there gorgeous." A voice echoes through the room surrounded by glass walls and long blue columns. Why did it have to be after school?

"_Shit!_" You squeak. An arm snakes its way around your bare waist. You try to wiggle your way out of his grasp but you can't. He just had to ambush you right when you got out of the pool didn't he? That little shit.

"What are you doing here all alone?" He whispers in your ear, his lips brushing against your skin.

"Eridan, please leave me alone." You plead to the young Ampora.

"But then you wouldn't have anyone to protect your cute little ass." He smirks. You bite your tongue trying not to spit out a comment you might regret, but you just can never keep your mouth shut, can you?

"Go fuck yourself." You mumble.

"What did you say to me slut?" His grip on your waist tightens and you whimper. You can just see yourself getting a bruise from this encounter later.

"Nothing." You whisper.

"What?" He slams you against the wall.

"I-I said," You stammer trying to get your vision to return to normal. "To go fuck yourself, you bastard." You say with more confidence. His hold loosens up and right when you think he might leave you alone he says,

"Why do it myself when I have you to do it for me?" He smirks nibbling on your neck. Panic flares up in you like a cigarette in a dry field during the summer. You inhale sharply about to scream for help but he interrupts you with a rough kiss.

"_Don't_ scream or you'll regret it." He says harshly. He latches onto your ear and then moves down to your jaw, then your neck, and slithers to your collarbone.

"L-let me g-go." You cry shakily. Weakly.

"Hey." A semi deep voice echoes making Eridan reluctantly detach himself from you.

"And what the hell are you doing?" He sounded like he was already bored with the conversation at hand. He sighed looking down at Eridan.

"I was just talking to my," He thinks for a moment and smirks. "_Girlfriend_. What's up with the lame glasses douche bag."

"Are you his girlfriend?" The guy asked, raising an eyebrow completely ignoring the comment about his glasses. Your stomach does a flip and your words got caught in your throat. Your eyes are glued to him. You silently swoon to yourself as you catch a glimpse of his bare chest. He is still wearing jeans and is holding a black shirt with yellow stripes. You've seen him around before. He used to go to your middle school. You recall he was one or two years older than you.

"Well?" He smirks slightly and you can feel the heat rise to your cheeks.

"No. I am not is girlfriend." Your eyebrows furrow trying to look confident and not completely weak. You had started crying at one point while Eridan was attacking your neck. The guy wipes your cheek nonchalantly.

"Oh come on babe I could have gone with fuck buddy." Eridan shoots you a mischievous grin.

"Ah." The guy said. He has black hair that swoops up with a slight undercut. At the front he had hair hanging in his eyes and onto his glasses that are tinted a dark grey making it almost impossible to see his eyes.

"Are you his fuck buddy." He smiles slightly.

"No." You say like it was the most repulsive thing in this universe. The guy laughs a little and then turns to Eridan.

"So, to me it seems like you were either about to rape her or seduce her. So how about you leave her alone or I smash your face into the wall and then push you into the smallest swim locker I can find." And then he smiles wider like it was the most pleasant thing in the world, and not a threat. He snaps his finger and points at the exit.

"So, what's his deal." You notice he has a slight lisp.

"Um… I don't know." You reply.

"Hm, well you should get going before he comes back. You have a ride?"  
"Yeah. Thank you for sort of saving me." I say quietly.  
"No problem" He says, sitting down to pull his feet out of his pant legs. You walk towards the exit and to your sister's car. You are silent as usual, the whole ride.

It's been almost a week since your last encounter with Eridan. You see the guy walking through the halls as you transition from class to class sometimes. And other times you see him walking into the pool area just as you are leaving. He'll nod to you and you'll smile but that's the end of it.

One day you walk in and see him there. He sits at the end of the pool and looks down into it. Skimming his fingers across the top.

He slid in ducking his head under. You watch his body move around in the water, and gracefully over to the deep end.

He surfaces and wipes his face of the water dripping down his tan-ish skin. His eyes widen and you notice how his orbs are a milky grey.

'_Is he blind?_' You wonder.

"_Fuck_!" He runs his hands through his hair and down onto his face. He dives underwater and stays down there for a while. You panic a bit after four minutes and dive in. You drift down next to him placing your hand on his shoulder; he jumps a bit and looks over at you. He hangs his head and hugs his knees. He lets all of the air out of his mouth all at once. You grab his shoulder and try to pull him up. You grab him around his torso and push off. You pull him out of the water and onto the cement. He sputters a little and coughs up water. He keeps his eyes closed.

"Can you get my glasses?" His voice cracks. You look around and find them on the edge of the concrete where the water meets the cement.

"Um… Here." You hand him his shades and he wipes them off and slips them on and sits.

"Sorry about that." He clears his throat and grabs a towel from his locker. He dries out his hair and body and slips back into his shirt. He goes into the boy's bathroom. You dry off your hair and slip into your grey hoodie that goes to your mid thighs. He comes back out wearing his black jeans and black and white converse and then turns to the door to leave.

"Wait." You say running down the hall to catch up to him.

"What?" He says trying to sound annoyed.

"What was all that back the-"

"Look, it doesn't matter. What you think you saw, you can't pro-" You snatch his glasses off of his face and hide them in your pocket. He tries to take them back, whining a bit.

"Please give them back." He says stomping his foot on the ground like a little kid.

"No." You grab his face, cupping his cheeks, and look at his eyes, moving the black strands of hair out of his face. He is looking anywhere but at you.

"Wow, they are-"

"Scary." He looks at you, his expression cold. "I know. Just a freak accident happened, okay? I'm half blind because of it."

"No." You glance at his lips and wonder if they are soft. "They're not scary." You snap out of your trance and look up at him, your hair dripping water down your back, the halls lead straight to outside. No doors, only a few gates preventing you to go in some places. You shiver as the winter air blows against your bare legs and neck. You look at the end of the hall and see a cloudy sky. The guy walks away and then stops and turns back to you, shivering in your skin. He sighs.

"What, don't you bring pants to school?" He asks raising an eyebrow at you.

"Yes." You murmur.

"Then why didn't you put them on?"

"I wear my swimsuit under my clothes on practice days or when I know I want to take a swim after school." He sighs again, then rifles through his bag and pulls out some yellow and black, plaid, flannel pajama pants.

"Here." He throws them at you and you catch them and look at them strangely.

"Why?" You ask.

"At my old school I would be so worn out that I would just want to go home and sleep, I keep a pair in my bag so that I don't have to change when I get home, or sit in my car dripping wet." He explains.

"Oh." You look at him again. "Are you sure your okay with me wearing them?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" He arches an eyebrow at you.

"I don't know, they are yours, and I don't know you at all really. And you don't know me. Why would you give a total stranger your pajama bottoms?"

"I trust you." He comes up to you and your eyes widen at him. He searches through your pocket and takes out his glasses. You grab his hand,

"Don't put them back on." You almost whisper. You look down at your feet, covered in a pair of mismatched socks.

"Why?" He whines.

"Because, I like your eyes." You feel the heat rushing to your cheeks.

"Why?" He asks.

"Because, they are beautiful." You hang your head and run a hand through your hair, pushing it to the side.

"I'm Sollux Captor." He says after a while. You look up at him and say,

"Feferi Peixes." You let go of his hand. He slips the glasses back into your pocket.

"Put those on," He points. "Your lips are turning blue." He smiles slightly looking at his shoes. What does that mean? Was he looking at your lips? You shake the thought off and pull on the warm, soft pajama pants. They drag on the floor and hang loosely on your hips. Sollux sits on a bench outside of the school looking at his phone.

"Are you waiting for someone to pick you up?" You ask him.

"No. Are you?" He looks up from his phone and smiles brightly. "Some one looks comfy." He pulls on the sleeve of your hoodie.

"Shut up." You sit down next to him, shoulder to shoulder. He chuckles slightly, a deep scratchy sound. You look at him and swoon lightly. He has this geeky, skater boy image, if that is even possible. He looks over at you and tugs at your side.

"You still cold?" You notice you are still shivering slightly.

"Um… No." You lie.

"Don't lie." He pulls you over and you let him hold you until you get warmer. Once he notices you aren't shivering anymore he pulls away, much to your disappointment.

"So is someone coming to pick you up?" He asks again.

"No. I usually call." You say. "I can right now if you have to lea-"

"Would you want to come over?" He asks.

"Um… I don't know you that well." You say looking down at your covered hands.

"What do you think I am going to do? Harass you? We would only talk unless you want to do something else" He winks when he says the last part. He looks at you. You stare into his eyes and get lost for a moment.

"Please?" He says.

You take out your phone and call Meenah. The only family you have left.

"Hey Meenah," You get up, walk away from the bench and then look back at Sollux. He pouts slightly.

"I don't need you to pick me up today, I am going over to a friends house… Okay… Bye…" You hang up and Sollux looks over at you, getting up. He puts his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"So?" He looks at you with pleading grey eyes.

"I need to be home by nine." You say. He smiles and hugs you, lifts you up and spins you around.

"Let us go." He says putting you down and raising a fist in the air triumphantly with the other on his hip like he was about to take off and fly. He is such a nerd. But too adorable for his own good.

* * *

You arrive at his house and walk through the door. You are hit with the smell of cologne and apple juice.

"Hey man, I'm home!" Sollux yelled shutting the door.

"Cool! You wanna watch some action movies?" A voice a little deeper than Sollux's yells back. The voice has a faint sort of southern drawl in it.

You look up at Sollux and he looks down at you.

"My roommate." You nod your head and he guides you forward with his hand placed lightly on your lower back.

"Nah man, I have a friend over." He smiles widely.

"Really?" A guy with white/blonde hair, pale skin, and dark tinted sunglasses pokes his head through the doorframe of what you assume to be the kitchen. He walks out wearing red, plaid, flannel pajama pants and a black shirt. He had and under cut and his hair hung in his face like Sollux's but his hair seemed a little more, well kept and shorter.

"Hello," He outstretched his hand. "I'm Dave Strider."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Feferi Peixes." He nods at you.

"Nice to meet you too. I shall be down here watching people get shot, things get blown up, and worlds come to an end." He nods to Sollux and walks into what appears to be the living room. You and Sollux walk through the living room past Dave and up a set of stairs.

"Don't be too loud, those doors aren't sound proof." Dave laughs. Your heart races into a panic. Sollux pulls you into his room and looks at you, leaving the door open.

"He's kidding." He assures you.

"Okay." You whisper.

"I swear, he was just messing around, I-I would never even think of-"

"Sollux, it' okay." You interrupt his rambling.

"Sorry." He squeaks slightly. Your expression lightens and you look around the room. His bed is under a window against the left sidewall right when you walk in. He has a black comforter with yellow pillowcases covering fluffy pillows. His room is painted a dark grey on two opposite sides, and then on the other two walls a lighter grey. He has a ton of C-Ds and video games on shelves along with a few books, and a grey carpet covering the entire floor.

"So, this is my room." He said a hand on the back of his neck.

"I like it." You say honestly.

"Thanks." He smiles awkwardly. He has a desk next to his bed holding a computer covered in a ton of band stickers. He moves over to the bed and sits down. He pats the spot next to him.

"So who was that guy that was attacking your neck in the pool area today?" He asked.

"Nobody. Doesn't matter." You smile reassuringly.

"Feferi don't do that. Really it isn't necessary." His eyes look at you pleadingly, he lisps adorably when pronouncing his 'S's.

"What are you talking about?"

"You don't have to act like everything is fine around me, okay?" He says.

"I'm fine. It's not like he was really going to do anything to me." You say, though you aren't sure what Eridan would've done if Sollux hadn't shown up.

"Fef, really, who was he?"

"Nobody." You insist, smiling to yourself at your nickname.

"Fine! Pretend nothing's wrong." Sollux throws his hands up in the air. He waits a while and then asks,

"Has he ever hurt you?"

"Why does it matter?"

"Because!" He cries. Your eyes start to water. He shouldn't be able to get under your skin so quickly. You just met him about two hours ago.

"Why do you care?" You inquire.

"It's my choice to care about people who don't treat me like a freak." He says and looks over at you.

"Hey, I'm sorry. Don't cry. I just- I don't want to see you get hurt." He comes over and kneels in front of you.

"You don't even know me! Why should it matter to you if I get hurt or not."

"Because, I like you," He says. "A lot. You seem like a nice person, and I don't want to see you get hurt." He wipes the tears away from your cheeks and cups your face in his hands. He looks you in the eye and leans in, resting his head against yours. Your shut your eyes and whisper,

"I like you too." He slowly leans in more until your lips lightly brush against each other, causing electricity to go down your spine all the way down to your toes. You open you eyes to see Sollux pull away and look up at you.

"Sorry." He whispers. "I had to." You look at him confused.

"It's fine." You faintly run you fingers across your lips trying to remember how soft his were.

"Um… Would you, uh, want to be friends, like actually not just considered friends?" You smile slightly at how he phrased his sentence.

"Do you kiss all your not considered friends?" You arch and eyebrow at him.

"I am so sorry. I-I just- you were right there- I- Uh. I didn't mean to make things awkward, I just wanted to-" You want to tangle your hands in his hair and kiss him and run your fingertips along his fit, warm body, but you just hug him instead.

"It's fine." After a second; he hugs you back and nuzzles your still damp hair.

"You smell like chlorine." You can hear him smiling as he says this.

You laugh lightly.

"So do you." He kisses your cheek softly and holds you tight.

It gets dark outside soon and starts to rain. You hear thunder boom and see lightning strike.

"It's getting late. I should probably go home." The wind makes the house creek and the power goes out.

"Damn it!" Dave yells. "Right in the middle of the best fucking part! The fucking power is out." Sollux chuckles his deep scratchy chuckle and helps you up.

"Are you sure you want to drive in this weather?" He runs a hand through his hair so he can see you. He has a scar shooting in a vertical line above his left eyebrow.

"I have to go." You say. Lightning cracks across the sky and just as the light appears. It's gone.

"Feferi, you shouldn't be walking when it is pouring down rain. Especially in the winter." He looks at you with a serious expression. He grabs his glasses out of your pocket and slips them on.

"Sollux, I'm not going to stay at your house when I just met you."

"Who said that you had to?" He asks, his cool facade back into place. "I could drive you home if you want?" He grins slightly.

"Um, sure." You say.

"But if we get soaked when we go out the door we are waiting out the storm."

"Okay." You agree. It won't be raining that hard. It just started a little bit ago.

* * *

You sit on the couch in the living room of Sollux's apartment with a towel wrapped around your shoulders, one of Sollux's black T-shirts and some new pajama pants that are a little too big for you like the last ones. Sollux is in the kitchen behind you making some tea.

"Holy shit what happened to you?" Dave walks in almost immediately starting to smirk.

"Fefs here opened the door, it was _pouring_ outside and said it wasn't too bad and then walked over to the car. I walk out with her and go over to the car and she is soaking wet. We come back inside and she is shivering like a Chihuahua." Sollux smiles, drying off his hair with an old, blue towel. Dave starts laughing hysterically.

"It's not funny!" You defend.

"You look like a raccoon." Dave smiles.

"A fucking beautiful raccoon." Sollux adds.

"Indeed, a fucking beautiful raccoon." Dave agrees. You cross your arms and turn your attention back to your phone texting Meenah that your okay but you might be home a little late. Sollux comes over with two mugs in hand.

"Dave we might want to get out the flashlights and candles. It's getting really dark in here." Sollux says. "You want to go upstairs and watch a movie?"

"Um… Sure." You say. He takes the towel off your shoulders and throws it into a small room and comes back.

"I'll be down here drawing." Dave says as you guys go upstairs.

"Okay." Sollux calls down. You enter his room and he sets the mugs down on the bedside table.

"Be careful of Sollux's bipolar." He throws in.

"_Shut the fuck up Dave_!" Sollux yells.

"See?" Dave says, you can tell he is smirking. You reach his room and ask Sollux,

"How are we suppose to watch a movie when the power is out?"

"I have a laptop." He smiles gesturing at said object on his desk. He hops onto the bed pulling his legs up and stretching them out. He pats the spot next to him inviting you over. You walk over shyly and sit on the bed pulling your legs up to your chest. Sollux leans up against a pillow setting the computer on his lap.

"Are you hungry?"

"No, I fine. Thank you."

"Are you cold?" Sollux asks.

"A little but, really I'm fine." He gets up and grabs a jacket out of his closet. He sits back down and hands you the jacket.

"Thank you." You say. He nods and pulls up some sort of video download and types in the movie he wants. He clicks on the movie, 'Ferris Beuller's Day Off.' You smile. This is one of your favorite movies to watch with Meenah. Sollux shifts a little closer making sure you can get a good view off the screen.

You start to get tired during the part when Cameron is shocked after seeing the miles on his father's car and Sloane is trying to calm him down. You close your eyes and rest your head on Sollux's shoulder. He wraps an arm around your waist and you flinch a little remembering Eridan's tight grip.

"Fuck, I am so sorry." Sollux gets up checking to see if you are okay. "You okay?" He asks.

"Eridan kind of had a tight grip, it's not your fault. I'm fine."

"Do you mind if I check if you're okay?"

"I _am_ okay." You insist.

"Can I check if you have any physical harm that has come to your body?"

"Really, I'm fine."

"So if I poke your side you won't flinch?"

"Y-yes?" You say unsurely. He pokes your side and you fail to hold in a whimper. You smile but he looks at you with and unconvinced look painted across his face. He cautiously pulls up your shirt and finds bruises across your ribcage.

"Turn around." He says gently. You get up and he scoots over to your old spot swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He looks at your back and runs his fingers along a few new dark spots and a few old.

"I'm going to kill him." He says menacingly. He pulls your shirt down and gets up. He races down the stairs and comes back up with ice in bags and tells you to lie down. He places the ice on your back and side, mumbling a few swears and torture plans under his breath.

"I swear, I am going to fucking kick his ass." He says, you can tell he means it. He scoots over to you and gently wraps his arms around your torso.

You look over at the clock on his computer and notice is it 12:48.

"It's getting late." You say groggily.

"You should get some sleep." He says. He pulls down the covers and grabs a blanket and pillow, and sets them on the ground. He pulls the covers up, over your body and kisses your forehead and lays down next to the bed on the floor and whispers,

"Goodnight."

"Goodnight." You say, drifting off to sleep.

* * *

You wake in a cold sweat. You see Sollux holding your hand and sitting on the side of the bed. It's still dark outside.

"What time is it?"

"Two thirty." He looks at you with a concerned expression. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah. Fine." You say, though your not sure.

"Could you um… Stay up here?" You ask wincing a bit as if this question hurt you.

"Yeah. If you want." He says cautiously.

"I wouldn't have asked if I didn't want you to." He smiles a bit at this. He brings his legs up onto the bed and stays above the covers bringing his blanket and pillow with him. He lightly wraps an arm around your torso and you scoot over closer to him. You close your eyes and drift off to sleep again.

* * *

You wake up a few times before falling asleep and waking up and it is slightly dark outside because of the clouds looming overhead. Sollux is snoring lightly still holding you, but you are using his arm as a pillow and your hand is resting on his chest. Tears start running down your face as you try to move, but pain shoots through every part of your body. You whimper a bit and Sollux stirs. His eyes flutter open and you sit up and turn away from him so he doesn't see you crying. 'God this is pathetic! Almost every second I'm crying in front of him!' You think.

When you sit up another pain shoots through you body. You bite your tongue trying not to let another sound pass your lips.

"Are you okay?" Sollux asks gently resting a hand on your shoulder.

"Y-yeah." You nod your head still not turning to face him. You wipe away the salty tears from your face and pull the covers away from you body. You get up tuck them to the top of the bed trying to make it look at least halfway made, and walk out of the room holding your side. Sollux comes up next to you and helps you down. You walk over to the kitchen and he turns on the coffee maker.

"Tea or coffee?" He asks, putting his shades on.

"Tea, please." You say. He warms up some water in the microwave and sets the coffee maker, most likely for Dave and him.

"Are you okay?" He asks again, pouring the hot water into a mug. The coffee starts to pour into the little coffee pitcher. He puts the teabag into the mug and stirs in around waiting for your answer.

"I'm just a little bruised up. I'm fine." You give him a small, weak smile. He guffaws at you slightly.

"Just a little bruised up?" His eyebrows knit together. "Fef, your whole torso is covered in bruises."

"Really, I'm fine." You say like its no big deal. Because its not. This happens almost every week.

"Sweetener?" He asks taking the teabag out of the mug.

"Just a little, thank you." You tell him. He takes out some honey and brings up a spoon filled halfway with the clear, golden sweetener. You nod, telling him it is enough and he swirls the spoon around in the mug. He hands you the mug and looks at you seriously. After a while he says,

"I would hug you right now, but I don't want to hurt you." You walk up to him and hug him lightly, trying to get as close as you can without wincing. He hugs you back gently and kisses your forehead. You both pull away, blushing, when the coffee maker beeps and Dave comes rushing down the stairs with his dark shades on.

"Did you remember to buy apple juice?" He says urgently.

"Yes." Sollux pulls a carton of apple juice out of the refrigerator.

"Sweet!" He says taking off the cap and gulping some down, small streams run down the side of his neck. Sollux pours his coffee and leaves it black, taking a sip and burning his tongue.

"Shit." He says covering his mouth with his hands.

"Dude, you seriously do that every morning. When will you learn to wait for it to cool down?"

"I know, I just want my coffee as fast as I can. Like you and your stupid apple juice."

"I don't dis your morning drink." Dave says.

"Yours is your breakfast, lunch and dinner drink."

"Not my fault! They put pot in this juice I swear it's addictive!" Dave throws his hands up in the air dramatically. Sollux grins shaking his head.

"We should get you home. It's still pretty early, I can run you home and you can change and stuff, then I can drive us to school." Sollux says.

"Crap! Dude I have to go, coach wants to meet the team early!" Dave grabs an energy bar from the counter and runs upstairs, and runs downstairs wearing a red Green Day shirt and black skinny jeans. He grabs his keys from the counter,

"It was nice to meet you." He kisses your hand smoothly and bro-hugs Sollux.

"Later!" He calls back over his shoulder. Sollux shakes his head smiling at the door.

"What year are you?" You ask Sollux.

"Junior." He says. "You?"

"Sophomore." You say.

"Is that douche in the same year as you?" He asks.

"His name is Eridan," You say his name in disgust. "And yes, he is."

"Damn. I'm going to find him today and fucking ram his face into the stairs." He growls.

"Don't, I'm sure you scared him enough yesterday. He won't come near me for a while." He harrumphs. You both finish your drinks and have some cereal before Sollux looks at the clock.

"I'm going to go get dressed." He places the dishes in the sink and runs upstairs. He comes back down in black jeans, a white Muse shirt, his black and white high-top converse and a grey hoodie, while carrying your stuff.

"Let's go. I am going to need directions to you house. Your suit is in your bag." He says. You walk out to the car and he starts up the engine.

You guys ride with comfortable silent, aside from the directions to your house. He pulls up into the driveway and you open the door.

"I won't be long. You can come in if you want."

"I'll just stay out here and keep the engine running." He says giving a small smile. You return it and run in, unlocking the front door with the spare key you keep on hand.

You run in up to your room, wash your hair in the sink blow dry it quickly, spraying some 'Amber Blush' perfume you got from Bath and Body Works that you always wear. You wash your face and apply some brown eye shadow to your eyes and some mascara to your lashes. You get changed into some blue skinny jeans, you black and white converse with mismatched socks hidden underneath. You wear a long sleeved maroon shirt and your grey hoodie. You grab a fresh royal blue, two-piece swimsuit, shove it in you bag along with a white t-shirt, to cover up the bruises, and run down the stairs. You write Meenah a quick note, rush outside, and get in Sollux's car.

* * *

Sollux parks and walks in with you. It is still pretty early so you both walk through the gates next to the band room and just wait inside sitting on a bench.

"Are you planning on swimming today?" He asks.

"Yeah." You say.

"Good. I am too." He smiles adjusting his glasses. A few marching band kids get dropped off and they walk in with their instruments. Some, you know and they acknowledge you. Some say hello to Sollux. Some you both know. Others just walk by and enter the band room. After the band comes back and zero period is over, people start getting dropped off and the sky remains grey and the air remains cold.

The bell rings and you and Sollux stand up to go to your classes.

"So, I'll see you at the end of the day?" You ask.

"Yeah. Or sooner." He grins.

"Or sooner." You smile.

"See you then." He waves walking over to his first class. You watch him until he is gone and you go to your first class.

* * *

The classes go by pretty quickly, except for AP Chemistry and History, which you have with Eridan. You hate every waking moment in those two classes. All the perverted glances and suggestive looks coming from him make you feel, not only like a slut, but sick to your stomach. You walk over to the pool right after your last class for the day, hoping you won't run into Eridan or the popular girl clicks that make fun of the way you look. You don't really have a group of people you hang around with. You kind of just float amongst the smart kids. You quickly get changed and walk over to the water sticking your feet into the warm water. You let your body be embraced by it and go under experimentally opening your eyes and letting them adjust to the water.

You watch your hair curl around your face and you float around like a fish. You see someone jump in and at first you think it is Sollux, but you see a strip of purple hair running through the black. Sollux's hair is longer. It's Eridan. He swims towards you and you shoot up towards the surface. Once you are on the cement he gets out and grabs you around your waist. He kisses you roughly and pushes you up against the wall; tears start streaming down your face you try to get out of his grasp.

'Where is Sollux?' You scream to yourself. Eridan starts groping your chest and running his hands through your hair. More tear spill down your face. You knee Eridan between his knees and he lets out a groan.

"You little bitch!" He croaks. You make a run for it but he grabs your waist and starts grinding against you. He snakes his arm under your t-shirt and up towards your swimsuit top, playing with the lace at the bottom. You start hiccupping as you sob.

"P-please [hic] s-stop [hic]!" You plead.

"Shut the fuck up!" He throws you into the wall and you collapse to the floor. You whimper and see the door fly open.

"What the fuck?" Sollux yells, his voice echoing through the room. Eridan falls to the floor clutching his most likely broken nose. He grabs Eridan and pushes him into the wall and punches him in the gut, then knees him in the groin. Eridan crumples to the floor. Sollux grabs your bag and slings it over your shoulder. He pulls you up into him arms bridal style and nonchalantly and carries you to a corner down several corridors from the band room. He takes out his spare pajama pants and hands them to you.

"Here." He says. He searches through your bag as you put the black and blue pajama pants. He hands you your grey hoodie and you take off your white t-shirt and slip it on. Sollux lifts you of the ground and carries you to his car. You buckle yourself in and he starts the engine.

"Why didn't you run and get help? Or scream or something?" He demands.

"I-I [hic] c-couldn't." You sob. You bring your knees up to your chest. Sollux slowly brings the car to a stop in front of your house. He scoots over to you and embraces you kissing your hair, then your temple and then your nose. He runs his fingers through your hair and rests his chin on the top of your head.

"I'm sorry." He whispers over and over. You listen to his steady heartbeat and feel his chest rise and fall as he breathes.

"Come on." He keeps holding you. "We should go inside and check out those hits." You nod and open the car door. You both slide out and head up to the front door. You unlock it and find a pissed off Meenah waiting on the carpeted stairs.

"Where the hell have you been?" She demands.

"It was pouring last night, I could barely get to a car that was four feet away." You say calmly.

"Where did you stay?" She inquires.

"At Sollux's house. I'm fine thanks for asking." You say though you still have tears slipping down your cheeks.

"What happened this time?" She asks.

"Nothing. I'm fine. Like I said." You say your bottom lip quivering. "This is Sollux." You say on the verge of sobbing uncontrollably. Could she not just leave the subject alone?

"What happened?" She demands.

"Nothing." You exclaim. You grab Sollux's hand and run up the stairs. You open the door to your room and shut it behind you. You let go of Sollux's hand and open you closet door and close it, going as deep as you can into the clothes. You cry as silently as you can but your hiccups make Sollux open the door and find you. He grabs your hand pulling you out, wiping your face from tears and pulling you into his chest, wrapping secure arms around you.

"Do you always tell people you are fine when you're clearly not?" He inquires gently.

"Yes." You reach on your tiptoes and kiss his cheek. You're still crying when he moves you both over to your bed. You pull away and sit in the corner on you bed, bringing your knees to you chest. He sits there looking around your room at the dark blue carpet and fuchsia walls decorated with various ocean themed decorations.

"I like your room." He says breaking the silence.

"T-thanks." You say shakily. He scoots over to you and rubs soothing circles on your back with his thumb. You lean into his side and rest your head in the crook of his neck. You trace your fingers along this fit stomach and play with the hem of his shirt. He brings you closer and he looks down at you smiling. You take off his glasses and bring you hand to his cheek, shifting to get a better look at his eyes.

"You're beautiful." You tell him. He mumbles under his breath.

"What?" You ask him, raising and eyebrow slightly.

"I said, 'Yeah Right'." He looks down at my wrists and runs his fingers along my pale skin. A terrifying thought pops into your head. You pull up the sleeves of his jacket and stare at his lightly tanned arms and see long white scars running in long, jagged, and deep lines going all the way up and down. He looks at you guiltily.

"I have few others too." He pushes his jeans down a little and just where his pelvic bone juts up there are almost fresh cuts along his skin.

"Oh, Sollux." Your eyes knit together. "Wh-"

"Look, I don't think I'm the best person for you to be around. You have enough going on." He starts to get up and you instantly miss the warmth and comfort of his body.

"Sollux. Wait." You say running down the stair trying to catch up to him. "I need you." You say weakly. He stops and turns around looking you in the eyes. He has tears brimming in his and you can feel some streaming down your face. You feel pathetic and weak crying so much in front of him.

"I'm sorry." He opens his car door and you speak up,

"Fine. I can stay away for days. If that's what you want."

"Fef, that's not what I want, I just don't think that you should be around me." A few tears streak across his face, and you walk up to him and wipe them away with your sleeve. He holds you hand against his cheek and closes his eyes sighing.

"I would hold the weight of worlds if that's what you need." Your eyes burn, more tears race down your face. "Don't leave." He brings you into a hug, and lifts your head up, keeping the other hand on the center of your back, and kisses you softly. You bring your hand up to his chest and run your other hand through his soft, dark hair. He pulls away hesitantly looking down at you sadly. Sollux gets in his car and drives off.

* * *

≤ A Few Weeks Later ≥

You sit on you bed reading one of your favorite author's fanfictions on Peter Johnson and The Olympians. You like how she makes Annabel kind of badass not a goody-goody like the others that you have read. You read on; adjusting the icepack on your torso. Another encounter with Eridan and this mean girl Vriska who hates you guts for no good reason. You've been reading all night and your eyes are stinging and you can hear Meenah shuffling around downstairs making tea most likely. It been almost five weeks since you've talked to Sollux. You've been avoiding the pool on the chance of running into Eridan and being assaulted but him. You look out your window and see that it is raining; you decide to take a shower. You turn the heat up all way and let the hot

water, run over your sore muscles. You turn the water off and dry yourself off, and open the bathroom door. You grab a pair of faded, light blue, skinny jeans and quickly slip them on. You grab the black and yellow long sleeve shirt Sollux gave you when it was pouring at his house, and pull it over your grey bra.

You head downstairs with your combat boots in hand along with your new, black, hoodie and mismatched socks in hand. You pull the socks on and then zip up your combat boots. You go into the kitchen and grab half of a blueberry muffin, eat it quickly and then walk out the door with Meenah's old skateboard.

"Bye Meenah, I'm heading off to hell." You call over your shoulder.

"Try and stay clear of the idiots. You know you're allergic to them." I see her smirk slightly and take a sip of her tea.

"I'm only human." You smile a little and head out. You race down the streets and sidewalks holding onto your small backpack. You pass Sollux's house and see him starting to get in his car. You skate faster trying not to bother him, like he asked. He goes in reverse and drives slowly down the street seeing that there is someone that he could hit. He looks out the window and sees your wavy, black, tinted fuchsia hair. At first his face brightens, and then his eyebrows knit together and he drives away like he didn't even see you. You continue skateboarding down the blocks, wondering if you will talk to Sollux today; most likely not, considering the past few weeks he hasn't even crossed paths with you until today. You arrive at the school and hurry off to your locker. You grab your books and run to your first class.

* * *

You lie with your face against the tile in the girl's bathroom, blood trickling down your mouth and onto the floor. You hear high-pitched laughter above you.

"She is so pathetic!" You hear Vriska snicker.

"Hell yeah." Terezi's nasally voice sneers.

"What the fuck do you want from me?" You groan, standing up.

"Your sorry ass outta here." Terezi says after a while. Vriska snorts.

"Ooh, clever. Had to get held back with your shitty boyfriend to think of that one, huh?" You sneer.

"Shut the fuck up Peixes."

"Make me." She punches you across the face and picks you up and throws you at the wall. You groan in pain and she kicks you some more in her red high heels.

The two girls walk out laughing and leave you bleeding, and with pain enflaming your body. You walk out after a while and clutch your still bleeding nose, and hole your no-doubt bruised side. Hell, every patch of skin on your body is probably bruised. You see Sollux walking down the hall, his head hanging low. He looks up and worry spread across his face. He strides towards you, when he gets closer he sighs and approaches you cautiously.

You look at him; your heart beating faster with every step he takes. You keep your distance from him.

"Are you okay?" His eyebrows knit upward with concern.

"Yeah. I'm fucking perfect. Just bleeding all over the fucking floor. Thanks." You try to sound angry but it comes out weak.

"Feferi?" He looks at his feet.

"Yes?" You say a little too harshly, you see Sollux wince.

"I'm sorry. I was being an idiot thinking that you would see me differently because of my cuts. I got scared that you might start doing what I do. I didn't want you to think I have problems or that I need help, when I'm fine." He pleads. "Please forgive me." Your glare wavers, then hardens again.

"Do you know what I have been through these past five weeks?" You ask.

"I am so sor-"

"Save it." You interrupt. Sollux looks hurt, but you keep going. "I have been beaten up, more so than usual. I have been sexually harassed too many times. I have been avoided by you, the only person that has ever been nice to me at this school, and I have been forced to stay away from you because you wanted me to." You feel tears stream down your face and Sollux's bottom lip is quivering slightly.

"And you were probably fine. Going on as you used to before you met m-"

"I was not even fucking close to being fine. I sat in my room trying to think things through. How I don't deserve you. How I should have been with you instead of sitting in my room, being an ass." He inhales sharply.

"What I did was messed up. And I'm sorry. I know that my apology doesn't make up for it at all." He walks closer to you. "Fef?" His voice cracks, and a few tears stream from under his dark glasses and down his face. Your heart sinks, Sollux sees it. He wraps his arms around you and pulls you into his chest and buries his face in your hair. You wince, but try to hide it. Sollux sees it and his eyebrows knit together. He shakes his head lightly like he will ask about it later.

"Feferi?" He says after a while.

"Yeah?"

"You know this is going to get even more awkward if you don't hug back." He says.

"Sollux?"

"Yes?" He drawls.

"Shut up." You wrap your arms around him and hug him tightly. He tilts your head up and kisses you softly and runs his fingers along your collar bone. He pulls away, and you take off his glasses. There are dark circles under his bloodshot, half blind, grey eyes. He gives a weak smile.

"Nice shirt." He winks.

"Thanks." You say meekly.

"Lets get you to the nurse. You look like you've been to hell and back." He smiles and helps you make your way down the hall.

"I'm only human." You shrug smiling.

* * *

**Hello mortals! SO this is my first Homestuck Fanfiction. I hope you guys like it feel free to leave a comment. This is kind of just a long one-shot... A long-shot? Haha, I don't know. Whatever it is I hope you guys enjoyed it. **

**Later!**


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